QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.0ml

Earthquake near Reno, NV

No earthquake was likely felt in Reno in the 24 hours to 2:36 pm PST (22:36 UTC). The last one was M 2.3, 7 km (4 mi) SW, at 11:07 pm PDT on 10 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 7 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Reno

This page: a magnitude 3.0 earthquake was recorded 20 km (12 mi) southwest of Reno, NV, at 9:37 am PDT on 6 June 2018 (16:37 UTC), 6.7 km deep. 13 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 4 km E of Floriston, California

20 km (12 mi) SSW of Reno, NV

9:37 am PDT, Jun 6, 2018 · · 6.7 km deep · released about 950 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Carson City 34 kmStorey County 39 kmSierra County 51 kmDouglas County 63 kmNevada County 69 kmPlacer County 75 kmLyon County 79 kmEl Dorado County 84 kmAlpine County 88 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
9:37 am PDT on 6 June 2018 ()
Where
20 km (12 mi) southwest of Reno, NV · earthquakes near Reno
Magnitude
M 3.0 (ml)
Depth
6.7 km below the surface
Felt
13 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Carson City, 34 km SE
Nearest mapped fault
North Tahoe fault, 10 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2998 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 36 km (22 mi) from the epicentre. In Reno, 20 km away, the estimate is intensity II (weak). Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.

Likely felt in: Tahoe Vista 19 km, intensity II · Truckee 20 km, intensity II · Reno 20 km, intensity II · Sparks 24 km, intensity II · Cold Springs 31 km, intensity II · Carson City 32 km, intensity II · Sunnyside-Tahoe City 32 km, intensity II · Spanish Springs 36 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 950 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 350,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 16,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 11,000× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.0 about 950 lb of TNT

Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.

For this area

No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 9 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.0 Near Reno, Nevada · 19 km NE of this epicentre
  2. 6.0 6 km WNW of Verdi, California · 19 km NNW of this epicentre
  3. 5.9 9 km NW of Truckee, California · 24 km W of this epicentre
  4. 5.6 5 km NE of Loyalton, California · 40 km NNW of this epicentre
  5. 5.3 11 km N of Soda Springs, California · 37 km W of this epicentre

Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.

Where

Epicentre 39.4002, -119.9753. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Carson City, NV 34 km (21 mi) SE earthquakes near Carson City
Storey County, NV 39 km (24 mi) E earthquakes near Storey County
Sierra County, CA 51 km (32 mi) WNW earthquakes near Sierra County
Douglas County, NV 63 km (39 mi) SSE earthquakes near Douglas County
Nevada County, CA 69 km (43 mi) W earthquakes near Nevada County
Placer County, CA 75 km (46 mi) WSW earthquakes near Placer County

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

59 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 1.5 1 km SE of Dayton, Nevada
  2. 1.6 2 km WNW of Sattley, California
  3. 1.9 2 km SE of Dayton, Nevada
  4. 2.3 5 km ENE of Indian Hills, Nevada
  5. 1.9 Nevada
  6. 1.7 3 km NNE of Spanish Springs, Nevada
  7. 2.1 6 km SE of Carson City, Nevada
  8. 1.8 9 km NW of Loyalton, California
  9. 2.4 17km WSW of Truckee, CA
  10. 1.6 5 km ENE of Indian Hills, Nevada
  11. 3.2 5 km ENE of Indian Hills, Nevada
  12. 1.7 6 km NE of Indian Hills, Nevada
  13. 3.6 5 km ENE of Indian Hills, Nevada
  14. 1.6 3 km SSE of Soda Springs, California
  15. 1.5 4 km SSE of Soda Springs, California

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.

On USGS

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.